Albany County starts worker furloughs

Not all departments behind budget--trimming effort that began Friday

ALBANY — Much of Albany County government shut down Friday as planned in the first of five days of employee furloughs, a measure intended to help close a budget gap.

Not all county offices were closed, however. While no one answered the phone at County Executive Mike Breslin's office — Breslin furloughed himself and his top aides along with his whole staff — everyone connected with the County Legislature was working.

Breslin's plan calls for workers to take five unpaid days off, one each month from August through December. He announced the furloughs in June as an attempt to help close a $20.5 million budget gap.

"It's definitely a hard situation for them and for the public to have their services curtailed," PEF spokeswoman Sherry Halbrook said Friday. PEF represents about 100 county probation officers, and union officials have expressed concern about furloughing probation officers who should be on the streets.

Earlier this month, after the unions filed the actions, Deputy County Executive Michael Perrin said, "We think we're on firm legal ground in that we are treating the furlough in many ways like a layoff. We think the law is quite clear: The county executive can implement layoffs without negotiating them."

At the County Legislature, the clerk's office and the offices of the Democratic majority and Republican minority were open and a few employes were on the job at the Department of Children and Family Services, which is under Breslin's jurisdiction.